The Properties of Neo-Classical Items: The Case of Post-, Poly-, and Bio

In English, prefixes are of considerable interest with regards to word-formation. This thesis examines the properties of prefixed neo-classical items on the basis of the three elements post-, poly-, and bio-. The aim of this thesis was to ascertain the possibility of a process of movement from bound to free morphemes in neo-classical prefixes. Using corpus linguistic methods each of the aforementioned neo-classical prefixes was analyzed based on a sample of 100 randomly compiled items and put into relation to the results from the whole corpus. For each morpheme, a short look at the etymology and the subsequent study of the quantitative and qualitative features of the given item showed that they behaved similar to one another. However, some minor differences in the behavior of the morphemes were observed. These can be traced back to the entrenched semantics of the respective prefix. The results showed that none of the items exhibits the predicted movement from bound to free morpheme. However, as notable differences were observed between the items, further research is necessary to fully establish the properties of neo-classical prefixes. The aim for the presentation will be three-fold. An overview of the methodology and results of the thesis provides the foundation for the subsequent discussion of ensuing questions and issues. Lastly, easily occurring challenges in the analysis will be addressed. This presentation tries to provide an overview of the richness of questions that could become viable research questions and remain largely unexplored.